[X] WAKE UP

She woke up to a pounding headache and a horrendous pain in her chest. Even with her eyes screwed shut, she could still make out a blinking light throbbing in perfect time with her head. Had she gathered a bajillion fireflies all at once or something? Didn’t matter, that was prob’ly what woke her up, so Wriggle hid her face in her arms, only to moan when that somehow made it worse. She briefly considered getting up to turn it off or shoe them away or whatever, but it’d probably stop if she waited long enough. The metal floor might be cold and uncomfortable, but it was less painful than getting up.

Wait. Metal? Dirt she could kinda understand, but what in winter’s name was she doing on metal? Where even was she? There’s no way she just passed out somewhere randomly, right?

Admittedly, it was the sort of thing that could happen to most youkai. Sake and post-incident parties were the sort of crap everyone did, and half of them would eventually wake up whining about hangovers and hunching over the nearest toilet. But not Wriggle Nightbug! She’d always tried her absolute best to avoid alcohol. Because she didn’t like the taste, definitely not because she was as lightweight as her beloved bugs! And if anyone ever saw otherwise, it was because Mystia gave her a dozillion drinks whenever she ate at her izyka- isekai- restaurant!

Just so that was clear. Besides, this couldn’t be a hangover, that should be a pain in her stomach, not her chest!

… unless it was a heart attack. You couldn’t get a heart attack from those fizzy blue drinks, right? Surely Mysty wouldn’t give her so many if that was the case! Reflexively she moved her hand up to touch her chest, and immediately yelped at the pain. It didn’t even have the decency to be the same sort of stabbing pain as her chest; her entire arm felt like pins and needles, and moving it burned.

Gingerly she lowered it back to the ground, trying to massage some feeling into it with her other hand. It helped a little, but her skin felt hot, like her arm had caught a fever or something! Just the l

Author’s Note: Full disclosure, this is a crossover with the mobile gacha game Fire Emblem Heroes plus my fanfiction ideas for it. I’ll, of course, try to write this so you don’t need any prior knowledge and explain stuff as necessary, but do ask questions when you don’t understand something. It’s also my first CYOA, so… Let’s see how it goes, huh?

“Begin documentation. Eitri, the Eternal Sage speaking. Preparing soul transfer #3784. Standard operating procedure. The new vessel is male, adult, athletic. Brown hair, brown eyes, fair skin. Alias will be Will Thompson. Beginning after recording end. End documentation.”

“Begin documentation. Loki, the lovely trickster god speaking. Preparing soul transfer interruption prank #0001. Question: How angry will Eitri get when I mess with her experiment? Hypothesis: She will throw quite the fit. Materials: Eitri’s lab equipment, plus one vessel, […]

Sex:
[] Male
[] Female

Age:
[] Prepubescent
[] Adolescent
[] Adult

[…], alias… Well, I suppose I have no say in that… Procedure: While Eitri is unconscious, I will pause the soul transfer process, reprogram everything to put her in the wrong body, then drop her off in my little pet project world. Beginning after recording end. End documentation.”

Author’s Note: So, whenever I thought about starting a CYOA, I always ran into the problem of “Does my idea for this MC feel like it’s the audience’s or the author’s?” Now, of course it should be both, but my fear was that with me at the helm, it might feel like I’m either trying to make the MC so much the audience’s that there’s a choice every paragraph, or so much mine that it might as well not be a CYOA. I thought this might be a happy medium between the two: The MC has a preestablished personality, past, and goal, but you get to pick the appearance and actions to reach the goal. Also, in case it wasn’t clear, in addition to choosing the age and sex, you are also invited to create na

[2] Stay focused! Lady Mima needs you to stay on task.
[10] Stop for a visit. You’ll make it quick…

Why would any of them miss me? I never really made an effort to connect with any of the other devils. Did I really misjudge things that bad? Your cheeks heat up with shame as you consider that uncomfortable possibility.

It feels like sacrilege to dwell on it at all, let alone for as long as you have been. But these were people you knew. Maybe not very well, but they were still acquaintances. You can’t let them continue thinking you had been permanently exorcised like Elis did. If they remember you, even slightly, then you owe it to them to clear things up, don’t you?

“Ten minutes,” you manage out after a long battle with your inner demons. “In and out. Just to let them know that I’m okay.”

A triumphant grin explodes across her face. With how suddenly her newfound vigor took hold, it’d be impossible to tell she was so sentimental seconds ago. “Glad to see there’s still a little bit of the girl I knew in there.”

Grimacing, your fingers dig deeper into the rope. Lady Mima surely understands. I’m just tying up loose ends before getting back on track. This is a necessary diversion.

She would understand that. Right?

The weightless rock suddenly feels very heavy in your arms.

Elis seriously wasn’t kidding when she said Vina had been expanded. What had once been an endless field of marble rubble, cracked pillars, and crumbling archways has been transformed into a veritable cityscape of weathered statues, dry fountains, and winding roads carved with elaborate patterns. All of it is in a state of deliberate decay, constructed to look ancient rather than actually be ancient, no doubt designed to impress foreigners with the illusion of a rich and storied past.

And, at the center of it all, still towering over the ruins as proudly as it had back then, stands the temple. There is no official name for it, or if there is, you’ve never known it as anything other than j

Eternal has been bugging me to crosspost this here, and since I'm getting close to finish editing the second and third chapter I've complied. Be warned, this is a JJK crossover.
In 2007 stories of spiriting away have been passed down around an isolated Japanese village. In that village, two girls have been wrongfully identified as the culprits behind the recent uptick in disappearances.
This is their story. (Cirno and Dai take the place of the Hasaba sisters)

August, 2007

"Cirno." Daiyousei muttered, hugging her sister closer to her.

Cirno and Daiyousei Hibana huddled close within their stone cell with its iron bars, their blue and green hair intermixing. They had broken through the wood one on their first day, but the guard outside had caught them. It just made everyone else angrier and Daiyousei hadn't been able to fight back when Cirno was out cold. There had been disappearances happening since either of them could remember, people who were called uncles, aunts, and grandparents despite only having a vague relation to the community. Their mama, who Daiyousei couldn't remember the face of. She didn't know if their mama's disappearance was why everyone hated them, she didn't know what they had done wrong. They'd never made anyone disappear like mama had! They didn't do it, someone else was taking people! It made her tear up just thinking about How could they be responsible? Just because Cirno knew what 'Jujutsu Sorcery' was, didn't mean she did anything wrong. Cirno was her big sister, and a part of Daiyousei believed that if they just treated her nicely then they could all get along.

"It's okay, Dai, just follow my lead. You remember what I taught you?"

She nodded, muttering under her breath as she shook. "Take a deep breath, feel the cursed energy, take it into your gut, breathe out, feel it move through you, wrap your body in a shell of cursed energy, circulate it through your brain, and activate your technique."

She nodded, following her elder twin sister's command, remembering the days when they had first s

[-] Medical treatment received.

"That's the last one," Reisen said softly, tying off the final bandage. "How are you feeling?"

Sitting listlessly on the gap, you looked down at the results. Your injured tails outnumbered the healthy ones, with no fewer than five wrapped up in makeshift casts. The pride and joy of any kitsune, the mark of their power and experience... well, they certainly marked something, alright.

How did it go this wrong? How?

"Ran? Is there any pain?"

You wrenched your eyes shut, barely holding back the dam of tears. It wasn’t like despair was anything new to you. In fact, it was a foundational experience - your current life as a shikigami began amidst the shattered remnants of your past self’s life, leaving your early days swamped by the emotion… and despite your progress in both control and stability, you could never truly seem to leave it behind. Sooner or later, no matter what tactics you tried or how promising your efforts seemed, you’d find yourself here.

Useless.

A hand gently pressed against your forehead, and you sucked in the breath at the unexpected touch. "There's no fever, at least."

You blinked, realizing the moon rabbit was watching you with open concern... and then her question from before finally registered. You blinked a few more times, focusing until Reisen's face came into view.

"Sorry. Can't feel the breaks, they just ache a little. Painkillers must be kicking in." And definitely not any other reason for your mind to be in tatters.

Reisen nodded, her red eyes leaving gleaming afterimages. "Could you rate it on a scale from one to ten?"

You reached for the glass of water, taking a drink as you marshalled your thoughts. "My tails are all between zero and three. Can't feel those two at all." You pointed in the vague direction of the ones most thoroughly wrapped up. "Main body... call it a four. Six if I move the wrong way."

Your nurse gave you a sharp nod, pulling out a small container of pills. "In that case, some painkillers are in order. I used a light

3 AM. The Witching Hour.

A time during which the boundary between normalcy and the profane is at its weakest, when safety’s veil over mankind thins to gossamer and allows fear to seep through. Winds start to carry whispers, and the creaks of one’s home bring with them thoughts of unseen presences. At that hour, all that lurk in the darkness are at their most terrifying.

That’s the belief, anyway - one reinforced by generations of sleepless nights. And in Gensokyo, belief is a force of nature in and of itself. Surely then, at this very moment, you must be at your peak. Surely.

Despite your effort to steel your revolve, your breath shivers past your lips. The pressure in your chest is no less oppressive than it was moments ago. If anything, it only mounts further. But you have to be strong, now more than ever. Frightening as it may be to take the first step, you have to do this. For her.

Forcing yourself forward, your foot steps past the torii gate of the Hakurei Shrine. You’re trespassing on sacred ground now. The pressure in your chest doubles, a palpable weight that threatens to buckle your knees. But the night makes you strong. The next step is easier to take, and the step after that even more so.

It gets so much easier to keep pushing onward, in fact, that by the time you’ve made it halfway down the leaf laden walkway, you’re starting to feel rather light and jumpy instead of leadfooted. The fear of getting caught skulking around is a great motivator to hurry up, as it turns out. And so, you skedaddle around the building in your desperate search for her.

Due to the special link you two share, you find yourself naturally drawn toward a grove of cherry trees a short distance from the back of the shrine. You bypass the main shrine grounds entirely, feet guided by an invisible connection. There, half-buried in a layer of pink petals from spring’s end, your gaze settles on a large stone - a paper talisman stuck to its surface. A seal. The seal that contains your master.

The sight is almost enough to bring you to your knees. Couldn’t the Hakurei have thought of

Reimu panted and held her side, feeling the burn from one of the lasers which had grazed her. Her red hakama were covered in grey ash, and her white kimono was speckled with soot, dirt, and a little blood. She half-crouched, half-knelt on Genji’s back, the giant turtle having shrugged off most of the attacks that had hit him.

Still, she took some satisfaction from being in a better state than her opponent. The one she was fighting was a gargantuan woman, one who simply radiated power. Even so, it was clear that she had suffered; white hair cascading in front of her face, red dress covered in soot and one purple wing bent unnaturally and another bearing an angry-looking tear in it. The remaining four wings

“Looks like your bark is worse than your bite!” Reimu powered through the pain and gave the goddess a savage grin.

“How could you be this strong?” The goddess panted out, shocked at her defeat

“Well, that’s just normal for me” Reimu boasted, puffing her chest out.

Shinki just gave her an unamused look, before brushing the hair out of her face “Anyway, what business did you have in Makai again”

Now it was Reimu’s turn to give an unamused look “Like I’ve been saying! There’s been too many demons coming to the human world lately! You’re the god of their world, so do something about it!”

“Guess I’ve got no choice...”
Shinki grumbled, before raising a hand to her chest. A purple light washed over the goddess, causing her to be rejuvenated. Her Wings snapped back into place, the gash disappearing in an instant. Even her clothes began to sew themselves back together.

Then she raised a hand towards Reimu, wreathed in green light. Reimu was about to get Genji to dodge when the light poured over her. She could feel the pain in her side dissipate, as the wounds across her body closed.

Shinki gave her a slight curtsy, her six wings disappearing as she did so.

“In deference to that strength of yours, I shall do something about it.” she declared.

“Yes, Please do.” Reimu put her hands on her waist, like her mom did when scolding her. She wasn’t entirely sure what def-fer-ence meant, but it sounded like she

You awake into this world with a scream.

Your eye flies open as your vision blurs. Panicking, you quickly stand up only for you to immediately fall over. You feel like you want to vomit.

So vomit you do, as you crawl over to a nearby tree and hold onto it for dear life as you puke whatever was inside your digestive system.

A few minutes pass as your show of repugnance slowly fizzles out. A sigh of relief passes over you as you move closer to the tree and plop yourself onto it for support.

You're breathing steadily now. Your eyes aren't blurry any longer and they adjust to the moon-lit night.

Looking around you realize you are in a forest, an ancient looking woodland to be more specific. The trees that surround your corpse (Did you just refer to ourself as a corpse?). Are old and- wait who said that?

(Me you fool, I am your conscience.)

That... Isn't normal. You think to yourself, one would think it impossible for your own conscience to have thoughts independent of your own, let alone have it's own voice.

(Well, something clearly happened before we woke up here. I don't remember much myself so I'm hoping you could fill me in.)

Ah right, your current predicament. You snap out of your thoughts and take another look at the forest around you.

You don't even know where you are. How does one even find themselves in a forest?

Like a quick clap of thunder however, you suddenly realize something.

Your breathing quickens in panic as it becomes increasingly obvious to you that you cannot recall a single thing before your awakening.

(Shit.)

You can't remember anything.

(Okay look I know this is a bad-)

You can't remember your life before waking up here.

(Let's just take a breather and coll-)

You can't even remember your own name.

(FOCUS.) Your conscience shouts.

(Look, we can't sit all day moping about the fact that we can't remember anything. Need I remind you we're in the middle of a forest?)

I guess you're right.

(Good, now get up and let's get out of here.)

With as much e

THE STORY SO FAR:
The world has ended, but five (well, it’s complicated) humans get a chance to do it over, and make things right. Only problem is, for their second go around, they're not going to be 'human'...

Kosuzu, Reimu, Akyuu and Youmu have all remembered their pasts, and through significant trials and tribulations, begun the path of fighting against the doomed future. Of the five Immaterial Children who were wound back in time together, only one’s fate remains unknown - the former magician, Kirisame Marisa.

In this life, she is Houjuu Marisa, raised on the island of Sado in the outside world. Spending her childhood years looking up at the stars, the arrival of the Spiral Comet awoke her inhuman heritage - one she was completely unaware of, and equally unprepared to deal with. Having fled her life on the island, she now searches for a way to get to Gensokyo, ever chased by a mysterious group.

She is not the only one exploring the mysteries of the city she now finds herself in - she is joined by Goutokuji Mike, a young maneki-neko of the modern world also on the run from home. Together, they discovered the Lunar Rainbow Market, and with the assistance of powerful benefactors managed to evade their pursuers.

Their time at the Scarlet Talent Agency ended poorly, yet not fruitlessly - not only were they joined by fellow mystery-hunter Kotohime, but a mysterious shadow of a witch managed to contact the young Houjuu, and point her on the path towards discovering her nature and purpose. This has proven to be another pain point for Mike, who feels herself falling behind the young changeling and wants to catch up. Perhaps the Vanishing Path and the prisoner of the shrine it conceals will give her a chance to prove herself…

Previous Threads:
Redo/Reimu >>205449

[x] Reisen is a brilliant little kit, and this was the time for her to shine. Just like with Chen, all I needed to do was give her a little support and encouragement.

I still remember back when Chen made her first spellcard. It had taken a lot of effort on both our parts - for all her good qualities, Chen simply wasn’t a natural with danmaku. Staying still while you cast a spellcard and the other person shot at you went against every instinct my kit had, and while spellcards with movement did exist, they were more difficult for a beginner. Making matters worse, the order for me to treat her as my pet made it difficult for me to teach her to the degree I wanted. (When she grew frustrated and started mewling for kitty cuddles, I almost had to tie my own hands to stop the shikigami from indulging her.)

But nevertheless we persisted, and finally she had her first spellcard ready to show Yukari. And my little girl was nervous. The shikigami possessing me had been anxious that everything be perfect for its master, and while that drive had helped in focusing enough to teach Chen… it had left my kit with stage fright, her voice wavering as she asked if we could maybe practice another week first.

I’d felt an almost primal urge to just embrace her and make the problem go away. To pick up my little girl, hug her, assure her she was the best kitten in all of history, and leave the spellcard demonstration for later. But that would have just delayed the problem and made it that little bit harder for Chen to stand on her own when “later” finally came. She’d done a good job, she’d put in the work, and “Kishin - Soaring Bishamonten” was a fine entry-level spellcard. As much as I wanted to hold her hand, that would be holding her back. She didn’t need my protection… just a little encouragement.

So I knelt down, and pet her. A quick stroke as my fingers traced a line from her fluffy ears down her cheek. She went completely still, looking at me as I told her not to worry. That she was ready, that she’d worked hard, and that Yukari was going to be just as impressed with her as I was. And in my kit’s eyes I saw the worry fade away as Chen fought her fear with pure, earnest determi